Bengaluru: Slow moving traffic coupled with dust have rendered the Intermediate Ring Road a nightmare and a health concern for two-wheeler riders and pedestrians. Two of the worst spots on the stretch are at the Ejipura signal and Sony World signal.
"I have started taking alternative routes to reach my office in Koramangala," said Dan K, a resident of Rustom Bagh, Outer Ring Road. "Each day, I commute 7.5km stretch and although my alternative route has more signals, I reach office at least 20 minutes faster. The other road has been horrible for over three months, with a lot of dust closer to Sony World signal. That the short duration of the green light there only makes the spot more horrible for motorists," he said.
Arjun J, operations manager at a startup, who travels 80km a day in the city, said the dust on IRR is bad enough for him to choose travel by car instead of a bike. "The signals and bad road are responsible for the crawling traffic — just 10 vehicles are able to pass when the signal turns green," he said.
The motorists say the IRR median, having turned into a dumpster, could be another factor contributing to the dust. They say the dust only worsens the situation for motorists who are forced to move slowly as the under-construction flyover has narrowed down the road width.
Arpit Bhayani, a software engineer, who resides in Ejipura, adds: "The Ejipura signal towards Domlur on the left side has holes dug up for some pipeline and after the work, the pavement was never re-laid. People have also started throwing garbage there. We have been seeing this for a month at least now."
Bhayani said, "The one-kilometre stretch of IRR from Koramangala to Domlur now has four new speed-breakers, leading to more congestion. There is literally no road on the last 50-metre stretch from IRR to Ejipura."
Dr Uma Devaraj, Prof, department of pulmonary medicine, St John's Medical College Hospital nearby, sees about three patients. who come with pollution and dust-triggered asthma every week. "This is due to prolonged exposure to dust. Through anecdotal evidence, we can see that asthma is dust and pollution triggered. In the long run, there is an impact on cardiovascular health, leading to heart attack, stroke, besides cancer," she added.
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Ejipura flyover median cleared of 2,350 tonnes of debris
Bengaluru: After two months of persistent followup and weeks of work by stakeholders, 2,350 tonne of construction debris and soil were cleared from the median below the under-construction Ejipura flyover.
The Bangalore Political Action Committee (B.PAC), a non partisan group of Bengalureans, which coordinated with BBMP and the flyover contractor in the endeavour, stated that 94 truckloads were used to clear approximately 2,350 tonnes of construction debris and soil and 91 auto-tipper for clearing garbage. Five trailers, carrying 130 construction barricades, were cleared and crash barricades are now being placed in the medians.
The clearing was done as part of B.PAC's ‘IRR Street: Standstill to Active' project with the intention to improve reliability of buses, walkability and road safety on the 7.5-km stretch of IRR, linking Indiranagar and Koramangala. Revathy Ashok, honorary trustee and CEO of BPAC, told TOI that for the past year, they have been working towards overall improvement of the stretch. "For the past two months, we specifically focussed and followed through on the garbage issue," she said, adding: "The debris and the scaffolding left on the road was cleared by the contractor as per the terms of the contract. Plastic waste was cleared by BBMP under the supervision of the marshals. We've been pursuing the issue on a daily basis, circulating photos, talking to their higher ups and thereby, putting enormous pressure on them."